CHICAGO –– Everyone needs a change of pace during the dog days of summer.

For injured White Sox pitcher Drew Thorpe, that meant leaving the 110-plus degree heat in Arizona and spending time with his big-league teammates. Thorpe, who underwent Tommy John surgery and may be able to return to game action next season, has been with the team the last four series against the Angels, Mariners, Guardians and Tigers.

“Just kind of a reset. Get out of Arizona, get out of the heat a little bit and just be around the team and see all the guys again. I think it’s been good, mentally,” Thorpe said in the White Sox clubhouse before Monday’s game against Detroit.

After being part of a team that set a modern MLB record with 121 losses, he’s noticed strides on and off the field from the 2025 White Sox.

“A lot better than last year, just vibe wise, clubhouse, guys, everything seems like it’s meshing really well,” Thorpe said. “We’re playing a lot better than last year and I think we’re very young still, so a lot of progress to be made but I think we’re headed in the right direction.”

Thorpe highlighted the White Sox return when they traded pitcher Dylan Cease to the San Diego Padres in March 2024. He was ranked as MLB’s No. 85 prospect at the time and came to Chicago alongside Samuel Zavala, Jairo Iriarte and Steven Wilson.

A 6-foot-4 right-hander, Thorpe debuted with the White Sox in 2024 and posted a 5.48 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP across nine starts and 44.1 innings. He had a handful of intriguing moments, including five straight quality starts in June and July. But he also had several rough outings, allowing 14 earned runs over his final 5.2 innings.

Thorpe’s rookie year was cut short as he underwent season-ending surgery on Sept. 7 to shave down a bone spur in his right elbow. He also had a setback in January and received a cortisone shot. Thorpe recovered in time to pitch during Spring Training, but he left with a trainer after warming up for the second inning.

The timing of the injury made it especially difficult to handle.

“It was kind of a gut punch just with everything at the end of last year,” Thorpe said. “And just kind of building up through Spring Training. Everything felt good throughout the whole process, so I mean it sucked, but it is what it is at the end of the day and nothing I can really do about it but keep putting my foot forward and get there when I get there.”

That could put roughly two years between appearances on a major league mound.

“They say 15 months probably, so that would be June, July [2026] in there,” Thorpe said. “I’m not going to put a day on it, especially just last year and everything. It’s kind of hard to put a date on it with such a long process. I’m kind of taking it day by day.”

In the midst of a long recovery process, Thorpe said Monday he feels good. He has started weightlifting and training throwing patterns while taking a day-by-day approach. The next stage will be throwing, and he has to build up strength over the next two and a half or three months in order to do so.

Thorpe estimated he’ll begin a throwing program around the end of the major league season, as the middle of October would be six months post-surgery. He’ll still need to see how his arm is feeling strength-wise as he builds up to that point, but said he’s in a good spot now.

“It is difficult. Obviously it’s a long process but just having those milestones, you hit the three months and six months and once you get something new, it’s kind of exciting,” Thorpe said. “As you go on, you get something else new and look forward to that.”

Elbow injuries are common throughout the league and have recently hit the White Sox hard. Thorpe joined Ky Bush, Prelander Berroa Juan Carela, Blake Larson, and Mason Adams as White Sox pitchers who underwent Tommy John surgery in the spring, per CHSN.

Thorpe has worked especially close with Bush and Adams in Arizona. During his time with the major league team he’s talked with Sean Burke and Davis Martin, who’ve also gone through Tommy John surgery.

Being able to talk to others in similar situations has helped during his long road to recovery.

“It’s been good just being at the complex with those guys, guys that are in it together going through the same process, especially like different times,” Thorpe said. “Just being able to see progress, I know Ky Bush is probably two months ahead of me, so being able to see where he’s at, just think okay i’ll be there in two months. It kind of gives you good feedback.”